The Betting Man
by mew-tsubaki
Summary: Oneshot, post-ep12. Seijuro liked what he saw at the relay. It was a good idea to keep Rin on the team. And, sometime next year, he'd be spending more time with the other Matsuoka... *Set during a hypothetical 2nd season. Rather Seijuro-centric. Very light T for some language.


**The Betting Man**

A Free! oneshot

by mew-tsubaki

Note: The _Free!_ characters belong to Oji Koji-sensei, not to me. Am I the only one who wants poor Seijuro's dreams to come true? *lol*;D Read, review, and enjoy!

- ^-^3

He knows he hasn't got much time left.

He is a third year, and there's one semester left, and that semester won't be summer for much longer. Technically, Seijuro Mikoshiba should be thinking about whom to make captain in his stead.

Instead, his mind is full of taking _this_ team, _his_ team to nationals again. It's not something that's going to happen, but he doesn't have to focus on this just yet.

Instead, he can give Rin Matsuoka special attention. Because if he gives Matsuoka special attention, then that increases Seijuro's chances of seeing the _other_, kind-of-more-important Matsuoka.

Kou Matsuoka.

Seijuro feels like an idiot sometimes when he swoons at her name—"Gou-kun"—but he's fine with that. Kou is a beautiful girl with, as luck would have it, all the same interests as him. He knows Rin finds him to be a capable captain and at the same time someone not worthy of his younger sister. Seijuro's not fine with _that_, but he's fairly sure it'll all work out in the end.

After all, he's betting that if he can win over Rin, then he can win over Kou, piece of cake.

…easier said than done, though.

Rin has become a little more pliable following the relay. He cares about swimming now. He doesn't have any grudges hanging over him, any obsessions distracting him. Seijuro makes sure of this; he asks Nitori.

"Matsuoka-senpai is really giving it his all this semester," the gray-haired teen chirps. His cheeks are rosy when he talks about Rin. Seijuro wishes for a moment that he'd had a kouhai look up to him so fervently.

But it's all right. Seijuro could care less about things that didn't happen in the past. For now, he's just looking towards the future as he dreams of university and of Kou.

- ^-^3

Giving Rin special attention isn't the way to get anything done.

"Oi, Mikoshiba, go bother someone else!" Rin bitches during one practice.

Seijuro rolls his eyes. He hates that Rin's right. Rin doesn't really need any special attention. It seems as though, after he'd solved all his issues, Rin could be Samezuka's top swimmer. Instead, Seijuro should be helping some of the others—like Nitori with his kick.

But that's not going to happen either. Rin is helping his roommate, the other members are practicing just fine on their own, and Iwatobi is sharing the indoor pool with them again. And Kou's attention is on her team.

He doesn't even have a reason to go up and say hi to her, because her brother is preoccupied and she could go get Rin herself if need be.

Seijuro is a third year with little time left. He's got exams to study for and he's got to nominate a candidate for club captain. Rin doesn't need him, nor does Nitori, nor do any of the other guys—and definitely not Kou.

He hasn't got much time left, and he spends most of it now feeling rather useless.

- ^-^3

It turns out that feeling useless sends your mind flying off to faraway places, he learns.

The nominations and elections appear seemingly out of nowhere, and Seijuro absentmindedly nominates Rin because he'd thought about it before even though he can't recall right now why Rin was his choice to begin with.

Luckily, the guys are all right with that. Rin is a bit of a hard-ass, but his talent and rough attitude easily lead the others. And when Rin can be a bit too much, Nitori is there to calm him as vice-captain, despite being a first year. Lucky Rin.

Iwatobi High is bemused by this, too. Their ranks don't change because their club is the same small thing as before, so Tachibana remains captain and Nanase remains vice-captain. Kou still manages them, too. Lucky, lucky Iwatobi.

Seijuro can focus these days on studying and on swimming mostly as he pleases. Rin sometimes asks him things when no one's looking, because even Rin is new to true leadership, and Seijuro has been doing this for a while. So Seijuro continues to captain behind the scenes, and nothing's changed, because no one remembers his contribution to anything.

- ^-^3

It is winter break, and all Seijuro can think about is the next season. It won't be long before he graduates.

The Samezuka swim team seems finally to remember this, and they throw a farewell party for him and the handful of other third years in the club. It's a light affair, because Christmas is near and everyone wants more of a Christmas party, but that won't happen because everyone goes home for the holidays.

Even Rin goes home. Nitori leaves before him and Rin sees him off, and then Rin and Seijuro are some of the last to vacate the dorms for the break. Seijuro watches as, surprisingly, Kou appears to collect him.

Rin is almost ready, but he realizes he forgot something in his room and he darts off, for a moment forgetting how dangerous he thinks it is to leave Kou alone with Seijuro. Seijuro forgets, too.

"Going home together, huh?" the flame-haired boy asks. "Must be nice."

Kou nods, and she smiles. It must be the first time she's done that in front of him. "Now that my brother's in a better mood these days, it's easier to enjoy time with him." She really is pretty when she smiles. It makes Seijuro's chest ache.

He nods and fingers the handle on his bag. "Must be nice," he repeats. "I've never really been like that with my sister…"

He's become spacy and nostalgic these days. He doesn't even notice the long look Kou gives him that—for once—is directed at his face and not at his body. "Are you looking forward to Christmas, Mikoshiba-san?" she asks.

"I guess." Seijuro stops and thinks about it. He _guesses_? Since when had he lost his certainty…about anything?

"What do you want for Christmas?" she asks politely, continuing the stale conversation. "I'm hoping for the collector's set of DVDs of this body-building competition I used to watch."

Seijuro goes to answer her, but he stops. He hasn't even thought about things he wants. It finally flutters to the forefront of his mind that it'd be nice to have Kou, or at least a date with her.

But he can't say that. Even if he could, Rin returns at, of course, the worst moment, and Rin shoots him a glare and ushers Kou out of there. She has to hop to call over her older brother's shoulder, "Merry Christmas, Mikoshiba-san!"

What's there to be merry about, though?

- ^-^3

It's still winter, but the break has passed, and Seijuro's days are numbered.

His heart is no longer in swimming, so he throws his all into his books and falls back on that as an excuse whenever anyone on the team bugs him. His fellow third years don't vouch for him, but no one's willing to press the issue. No one's ever seen him be so…un-Mikoshiba before.

And he doesn't know how to fix it.

- ^-^3

Springtime comes and, with it, cherry blossoms.

The graduation ceremony is the standard affair, and the graduates leave quietly. Any and all celebrations have happened already, and now it's time to bow out as the curtain drops.

To his surprise, Seijuro is greeted afterwards by Rin and Nitori.

"You didn't think we wouldn't bother you though you've graduated?" Rin teases. His tone is bratty, but Seijuro can tell he means to treat his senpai as an equal and not as a pain in his ass.

"I thought we already had our celebrations, though," Seijuro says, and the trio begins walking home.

Rin shrugs. "I didn't say we were here to celebrate."

"Matsuoka-senpai thought you might fancy a match against Iwatobi's members, now that exams are off your mind," Nitori translates. Rin turns bright red and glares daggers at the younger boy, who laughs it off.

Seijuro can't believe it. It's the warmest Rin has ever been around him! How could he say no? So the three make their way to Iwatobi, and Seijuro is reminded one more time of his crush on Kou.

But maybe that's all it was, a crush. Perhaps he's graduated Kou just as he's graduated Samezuka. Today he tells himself that that's all right, and he'll just enjoy today with—with his friends.

The practice is fun and relaxing. He never noticed how fun it was not to have a regiment in mind while in the water. He also learns he rather likes Tachibana and the others. He can see why Rin is friends with them, and why Kou admires their physiques.

After a quick match against Hazuki that left Hazuki tired, Seijuro stays in the water teasing all the swimmers, asking who is next. A shadow falls over him, and he sees Kou standing there. Automatically he backs up for fear of Rin's wrath, but Kou sits down and sticks her calves in the water.

"Ah, uh…," he says intelligently.

Kou smiles. "Congratulations, by the way, Mikoshiba-san."

"Thanks," Seijuro mumbles.

"It's nice to see you enjoying the water again," she says.

He pauses. How had she known? Had Rin told her…? Whatever the case, Seijuro tries not to sound so weak. "Ah, well, exams, you see…"

"So you can relax now?"

Seijuro darts a glance at her. Kou is cuter, prettier than ever with the springtime sun hitting her hair and making it the deep color of rubies. So much for moving on from her…! He manages a weak nod where words fail him.

Her smile widens. "Then perhaps you'd like to come over to our house sometime? Remember the DVDs I said I wanted for Christmas? I got them, and I thought you'd be able to appreciate them as I do."

He blinks and glances around for Rin, who's nowhere in sight, and neither is Nitori. Is it too good to be true? But maybe… Maybe Rin finally mustered some respect for him after all… Seijuro looks back at Kou and finds she's awaiting his answer. "Of course. Just tell me when a good time is."

- ^-^3

Seijuro Mikoshiba is a high school graduate of Samezuka Academy. Summer is just arriving, Kou is reaching for him, and he's got all the time in the world.

- ^-^3

**WAY angstier than I'd thought it'd be! :O Plus, sooo Seijuro-centric! :OO I quite like this, though, because it's interesting to think about how the dynamics of the two clubs would change as members graduate… A couple of notes: Not sure if Sei's sis is older or younger than him, so I left that kinda open… Since they don't go to the same school, I thought it made sense for Kou to use "Mikoshiba-san" in lieu of "-senpai." And "Hazuki" is Nagisa's surname—I know I forget half the time, so I thought I'd include a reminder, *lol*. ****Lastly****…would anyone like a version of this done from Kou's POV? Because the last scene with them kind of got me wondering what ran through Kou's head in this fic…**

**Anyway, thanks for reading, and please review!**

**-mew-tsubaki :}**


End file.
